Knicks draft Kostas Papanikolaou of Greece

Posted by
Inside Hoops

Jun
29

The Knicks looked to the future Thursday on draft night, selecting Kostas Papanikolaou of Greece with the 48th overall pick. It was a decision that disappointed many fans because Papanikolaou, a 6-foot-8 forward, will probably play overseas for at least two years.

Last season, Papanikolaou played for Olympiacos. He helped the team beat C.S.K.A. Moscow, 62-61, in the Turkish Euroleague championship game.

Papanikolaou averaged 7.4 points and 4.3 rebounds per game last season. He is also a member of Greece’s Olympic national team.

“He plays hard and he’s highly skilled,” General Manager Glen Grunwald said. “He needs to improve his shooting, but we watched him improve over the course of this year.”

Papanikolaou will not join the team during its summer league games next month in Las Vegas because he still has one year left on his contract.